The Battle of Dazar'alor is finally here! In preparation for the next mythic raid race, we've caught up with Team Method and MSI to discuss how performance gaming monitors can help bring an advantage to competitive World of Warcraft. Be sure to catch Method's Race for World First, streamed live from the Red Bull Gaming Sphere, to see them in action using MSI's new esports monitor! You can also check out our raid strategy guides as well as our loot and Azerite armor guides to prepare yourselves for the new raid! \r\r\rMethod prepping to race for World First at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere with MSI\r\r\r\rWhat is a "Gaming" Monitor?\r\rWhen it comes to PC hardware and peripherals, the word "Gaming" is often thrown around and attached to products for marketing purposes. Sometimes these products actually provide an advantage to PC gamers but far too often it just means overly designed products cobbled together with RGB lighting and a premium price tag. Gaming displays haven't exactly been blameless in this, but technology in recent years has allowed high performance monitors to actually provide noticeable advantages to gamers.\r\rThe new MSI Oculux NXG251R is a clear example of a proper gaming monitor. Its cutting edge technology and feature set have made it the official monitor of choice for Method's mythic raiders, MDI competitors and arena PVP teams. What qualifies a monitor as one built for gaming? First and foremost, a monitor that is marketed towards PC gamers should be fast. This means a high refresh rate and low response time. Most modern gaming monitors also come equipped with Nvidia's G-Sync or AMD's FreeSync technology. Paired with the right graphics card, these adaptive sync technologies synchronize your otherwise static refresh rates to your GPU: eliminating screen tearing, minimizing stutter and reducing input lag. \r\rCheck out Nvidia's video below to learn more:\r\r\rUnless you're paying a hefty premium, gaming monitors tend to sacrifice color accuracy and viewing angles to provide speedy responsiveness to eliminate input lag and reduce stuttering during high action gaming sessions. Speedy gaming monitors with high refresh rates and low input lag have been coveted by FPS players and esports professionals for a very long time, but Method has proven they're actually useful for competitive MMO players too. The MSI Oculux NXG251R features a staggering 240Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time and comes equipped with Nvidia's G-Sync. \r\rIt ticks all of the usual boxes you'd expect in a high-end gaming monitor but also includes a few quality of life features like an anti-flicker panel with reduced blue light to reduce eye strain during long periods of gaming. This is particularly useful when you've been raiding and staring at the screen for over eight hours. The monitor also has a built-in USB hub, an adjustable, tilting stand and an ultra-thin bezel which is great for multiple display setups.\r\rHigh Refresh Rates\r\rMost modern monitors come with a refresh rate of 60Hz. This means the monitor can refresh the image a maximum of 60 times in a second. These monitors won't prevent your graphics card from rendering more than 60 frames per second, but it does mean that any extra frames can't be displayed. This is the reason why high refresh rate gaming displays are so highly coveted by esports professionals. Higher frame rates with a refresh rate to support them make for a totally different gaming experience. 120Hz and 144Hz monitors are rather common now, but the MSI Oculux NXG251R is one of few elite monitors capable of a 240 Hz refresh rate.\r\r\r\rThe difference between a 240Hz monitor and a 60Hz is one of those situations where seeing is believing, so we'd definitely recommend trying to see one in person. Once you do, the difference is night and day. LG's photo above provides a tiny bit of insight into what you'd experience. Higher refresh rate displays just feel so much more responsive, providing a fluid gaming experience with reduced motion blur. These are essential for high movement FPS and RTS games, but also fantastic for Wow.\r\rThe awesome thing about Wow is that it's optimized incredibly well for a game that's over a decade old now. High frame rates are relatively easy to achieve at 1080p, so a monitor like the MSI Oculux NXG251R with a 240Hz refresh rate goes a very long way. Whether you're rapidly panning the camera to scan the battlefield for fire or mindlessly spinning around in the auction house, a 240Hz display provides a buttery smooth experience. \r\rSingle vs Multiple Displays and Resolutions\r\r\r\rAnother benefit of Wow's optimization is that a relatively dated PC can handle the game just fine at a lower resolution with low graphics settings. On the other hand, the game can look pretty fantastic with the right system and a high resolution. Most players do just fine with the former, but multiple displays or a single high resolution setup with the right gaming monitor can be very helpful in Wow. Here are a few sample setups and their pros\/cons:\r\r\r1920x1080 - double or triple 1080p 22-24" displays:\r\r+ You can easily browse Wowhead for tips on a secondary display without minimizing\r+ You can watch Youtube videos and Twitch streams on a secondary display\r+ 1080p gaming monitors are much more affordable than QHD and UHD displays\r+ Much easier to achieve high frame rates at 1080p\r- Wow looks a lot better at 1440p and above \r\r3440x1440 - single ultra-wide QHD 35" display:\r\r+ Provides an ultra-wide view of the battlefield, helping awareness\r+ Curved options are very immersive\r+ Available in 100Hz+ displays\r- More expensive than a couple of 1080p monitors \r\r3840x2160 - single 4K UHD 27-28" display:\r\r+ Wow looks great in 4K, but the difference from 1440p isn't drastic\r+ Plenty of real-estate for UI and utility addons without compromising awareness\r- Generally limited to 60Hz, unless you're prepared to spend a lot\r- Requires a powerful PC to get a decent frame rate \r\r5760x1080 - triple 1080p 22-24" displays (pictured above with MSI Oculux NXG251R):\r\r+ Wow becomes really, really immersive\r+ Provides a very wide view of the battlefield, increasing awareness\r- Can be disorienting \/ distracting and straining on the eyes\r- Requires very thin bezels to look good, which can be pricey \r\r\rThese are just a few examples of monitor resolutions and display configurations that work for Wow. There are countless combinations out there but there isn't a single "right" setup. Some Wow competitors prefer the simplicity of a single monitor while others lean towards the benefits of multiple. It all boils down to personal preference and comfort.\r \rGaming Monitors for PVP and PVE\r\r\r\rWhether you're a Mythic+ dungeon crawler, cutting edge raider or an arena gladiator, gaming monitors like the MSI Oculux NXG251R can provide a competitive edge to help you succeed. They're certainly no substitute for practice and skill, but they can definitely change your Wow experience for the better. Method's MDI allstar J.B. 'Jdotb' Daniel said:\r\rThe MSI Oculux NXG251R is the first monitor I've owned with a high refresh rate and g sync. I know a lot of gamers ask themselves if these features are really worth it -- because I asked myself those same things -- and I can now confidently say that, yes, you will notice and it will change the way you play games and you won't ever want to go back. These features aren't luxuries, they impact your play at a fundamental level.\r\rA decorated Mythic+ veteran, Jdotb is able to stay focused during the most chaotic moments in a dungeon thanks to his gaming monitor:\rAesthetically, the high refresh rate makes the game so much more fluid and immersive. Performance-wise, having an adaptive refresh rate on fights where you're whipping your camera around or moving a lot lets you focus on the action and not the pixels.\r\r\rAs the team's star healer, Jdotb needs to be constantly aware of a multitude of status effects, dangerous affixes, interrupt timers and so much more. The MSI Oculux NXG251R allows him to stay dialed in at all times and ready for those clutch heals, interrupts and defensive cooldowns. The same applies for PVP players as well. When you're rapidly moving your camera to keep those slippery foes in your line of sight, fluid frames from a high refresh rate makes a world of a difference. In any competitive Wow environment, a few milliseconds can mean the difference between life and death.\r\rDo I Really Need One?\r\r\r\rThe truth of the matter is, the majority of Wow players are perfectly content with a standard 60Hz monitor. A gaming monitor isn't required to succeed in competitive Wow, but it can certainly help. If you have a powerful PC capable of outputting high frame rates, a 240Hz monitor like the MSI Oculux NXG251R will go a very long way. On the other hand, if you're running Wow with pretty low frame rates, it's probably a better idea to upgrade your PC first.\r\rIn any case, it all comes down to your own personal preference and needs. But be warned, once you make the jump to 144Hz and above, it's really hard to go back. What kind of monitor setup and resolution are you using for Wow? Let us know in the comments!

Commenti

Commento di Slaughtered

on 2019-01-29T21:36:50-06:00

why interview method they not even good they all switched to alliance to get the advantage...these guys playing on everything top of the line, lmao most guilds dont get that opportunity, method should win they have alot of advantages

Commento di Ozpicious

on 2019-01-29T22:00:55-06:00

these guys playing on everything top of the line, lmao most guilds dont get that opportunity, method should win they have alot of advantages\r\rLimit were the ones that faction changed to get the 400 piece. plus limit also has a 16 hour headstart

Commento di jimbowman

on 2019-01-29T22:07:15-06:00

Sponsored advertising without any disclaimer is pretty shameful. Did MSI write this whole thing?

Commento di maxchum

on 2019-01-29T22:11:27-06:00

Great advertisement. Oh well, good for Method i guess. Just hope race won't be over by the time EU get there.

Commento di Shirubia

on 2019-01-29T22:29:33-06:00

Lets hope Method loses the race to Limit this time, lets see if that way all the advertising in the site stops (And we get some variety in who wins the race this time).

Commento di Peredhil

on 2019-01-29T23:10:45-06:00

why interview method they not even good they all switched to alliance to get the advantage...\r\rThat was Limit for you. You're welcome, knowledge is power, and all that...\r\rLets hope Method loses the race to Limit this time, lets see if that way all the advertising in the site stops (And we get some variety in who wins the race this time).\r\rOn contrary, would be nice to see Limit and their comic lines "First to moon ,blah, blah" losing again even with the 24h guaranteed headstart and double faction transfer.

Commento di Gomrin

on 2019-01-29T23:40:45-06:00

Not complaining, but since this hardly counts as a neutral review you should mark it as advertisement.

Commento di Chewarette

on 2019-01-29T23:59:40-06:00

You definitely need this kind of monitor to play World of Warcraft indeed.

Is there a way to blacklist adds ? That was uninteresting and I'd rather not see any other of this kind of posts in the future.

Commento di Jevnaker

on 2019-01-30T02:22:13-06:00

i wasn't expecting an add not declared as such on wowhead pretending to be an article.

Commento di wubsylol

on 2019-01-30T03:28:48-06:00

Poorly written sponsored content not actually marked as sponsored content is poor form, especially considering how many other ads already flood this website.

Commento di Whawk

on 2019-01-30T04:55:43-06:00

Why I'm paying for premium account and still getting advertisement? I've paid to not have it ffs!

Commento di neoslayyer

on 2019-01-30T05:31:35-06:00

Sorry, but at $499, i could step up in processor quite a bit and buy a 144Mhz monitor that does just as good. S Seeing as WoW is so processor intensive, id rather invest more in one and do a 144Mhz monitor wit the same features. \r\rI mean thats just me, but $250-$300 more on a better processor is far more worth my investment. We lved with 60Mhz monitors forever without complaints, so at over double that with a 144, im going for the better i7!\r\rJMO.

Commento di Zygos

on 2019-01-30T07:12:37-06:00

Highly disappointed with Wowhead.

Commento di Kennox

on 2019-01-30T07:29:00-06:00

Time to cancel Wowhead premium seen as they now force advertising down your throat and call it news.

Commento di bluesolei

on 2019-01-30T09:47:30-06:00

not an ad article at all btw

Commento di Alphageek

on 2019-01-30T11:28:19-06:00

https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kateharrison\/2018\/05\/22\/want-to-try-influencer-marketing-be-careful\/#7dc5ca324a8b\r\rDisclosing a material connection between a brand and social media creators isn\u2019t just a recommendation \u2014 it\u2019s the law. \u201cThis means both monetary agreements and non-monetary exchanges, such as free products or paid trips, must be disclosed.\u201d Compliance can include simple disclosures like #ad, #sponsored, or (our favorite) #paid, but can be communicated in natural language. To read more about staying on the right side of these laws, #paid worked with Canada\u2019s regulatory body to produce Ad Standards Influencer Marketing Disclosure Guidelines, which offers clear advise to marketers just getting into IM.\r\rI've been reading Wowhead articles for a long time, and have been paying for a long time. It pretty obvious to me that Perculia didn't actually write large chunks of this text. As of right now, there is zero disclousure of the article being an Ad - At least my old 60Hz non-gaming monitor can't see one.\r\r#Disappointed

Commento di DarkAviator

on 2019-01-30T11:59:20-06:00

Pure ad content disguised as news. Aren't there laws against this?\r\rNot anything about other monitors from MSI, maybe a similar one with Freesync for those with AMD gpus. :(

Commento di elkagorasa

on 2019-01-30T13:58:56-06:00

I now feel really inadequate playing this 12-year-old game on my 8-year-old LCD monitor. I must go out and buy myself a brand new "MSI Oculux NXG251R" monitor in order to complete LFR Battle for Dazalor optimally. I should probably get a new computer too! It's already 5 years old (2014!) Does Method have a sponsorship deal with someone selling PCs? Oh! Of course they do! MSI and Corsair? Such a difficult of a decision!

Let's see ~$2500 for new PC and ~$500 for the monitor. That's 150 Wow Tokens worth of cash. Can someone send me the 17.6 million gold? I am sure there will be a "Method Approved" setup available on the Blizz Cash shop soon!

Commento di Bugu

on 2019-01-30T14:21:43-06:00

This is clearly an advertisement and therefore should be labeled as such - really disappointed. Disappointed enough to even comment.

Commento di qaccy

on 2019-01-30T22:24:13-06:00

I didn't really read much in the way of how this 'gaming monitor' actually helps in a practical sense. Just a bunch of 'it's better' without much explaining as to how. Is there something a monitor like this lets you do that you wouldn't be able to do with more 'traditional' hardware that has a meaningful impact on gameplay?\r\rAlso, yeah, sounds a lot like a huge advertisement.